


A Life Worth Living

by Stealthily_Nobody



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 14:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10968870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stealthily_Nobody/pseuds/Stealthily_Nobody
Summary: Ardyn never thought he would find meaning in his life after taking in two strays. Little does he know this will be the happiest he's ever been in his two lives.*Reincarnation fic about Ardyn becoming Noct and Luna's father.





	1. Childhood

**Author's Note:**

> So I've seen a couple of stories about Ardyn becoming a father and I thought that Ardyn being Noct and Luna's father would be awesome. This story is pure fluff and I'm not sorry at all. So read if you want or don't, but I hope if you do you'll enjoy it.

The name Ardyn Izunia was whispered all through town. A standard for the perfect bachelor everywhere: rich, handsome, young, powerful, and intelligent. Women practically threw themselves at him whenever he was out in public. At the ripe age of 27 Ardyn was taking the world by storm with his incredible intelligence and knowledge of the world that not even people three times his age could match. A down right prodigy, he’d finished med school before most of his peers could apply. At 25 he’d specified in numerous areas and had started his own company. Now, at 27 Ardyn lived a very well off life. His company was booming and he never wanted for anything.

However, Ardyn still remembered. He remembered the life he lived before where he toiled under the gods for thousands of years. He remembered finally being killed by the chosen king and yet he still breathed. When he’d reached the world of the dead the Astrals had intercepted him and demanded that he live once more. A mortal life time they told him. Ardyn hadn’t been pleased. When questioned the Astrals simply said, ‘for your redemption.’ Ardyn found that unfair since he’d spent centuries working towards redemption and now that he’d finally succeeded the Astrals decided that he hadn’t done enough. His mother, who’d been there and who’s face Ardyn had long forgotten, approached him and told him that it wasn’t for his redemption but the redemption of the Astrals. This time he would get to experience the joys of life. Ardyn believed it to be a load of crap but he couldn’t say anything and the next thing he knew, he was reborn as a tiny human being.

Now at 27 once again Ardyn still had not experienced one single joy in his life. This life had been easy with all his retained knowledge. School was simple and with thousands of years experience reading people Ardyn could easily read the old cronies who stood at the top of the industries. The only real joy he had in this life so far was witnessing the rebuilt Insomnia. He’d been reborn in the city that he was once betrayed in and later destroyed. Nonetheless, he enjoyed his childhood spent re-exploring a city he once knew like the back of his hand.

Ardyn expected this life to be simple. He would exist and then he would die. Nothing special would happen like the Astrals and his mother seemed to think would happen. Nothing. Except, at age 27 his deceased second cousin once removed’s wife died and somehow their daughter ended up in his custody. 

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Ardyn couldn’t believe his luck. The reincarnated version of the girl he’d killed was now under his care. She was a smart girl for a 2 year old. She understood that her mother was dead and that her brother had been sent to live with another relative. When they first met Ardyn had asked her, “Are you sad that your mother is dead? Do you want me to be your father?”

Ardyn would never forget the look in the girl’s eyes, a hard look that spoke of wisdom far beyond her years, nor would he forget her words, “Everyone dies. This time it was my mother, before her was my father, one day it will be my brother. But, I would like it if you could be my new father.”

The last remarks had been said so innocently that Ardyn couldn’t help but agree and scoop the little girl up into his arms. She hadn’t had the most peaceful of childhoods up until that point but he would try to help her enjoy the rest it. The two had tentatively become a family and Ardyn couldn’t help but wonder if this had been the joy his mother had spoken of. 

After Ardyn had taken custody of Luna (as she liked to be called) he went and bought a average size house in a nice suburbs with the idea of giving his daughter (the thought still gave him tingles) an average childhood where she wasn’t flooded by the media at whatever she did. Luna took to the new house with an air of wonder. She loved her new room and was happiest sitting by a wide window at the front of the house and reading her picture books. Ardyn would often join her and they’d read until she had to go to bed. 

The neighbours were nice enough and strangely never made the connection between him and the widely known Ardyn Izunia that was everywhere in the news. Ardyn couldn’t help but smirk to himself whenever the neighbours would stop and talk to him about himself without knowing who they were talking to. The kids who lived nearby were loud but welcoming to Luna even though she’d much rather spend her days reading. Some days she’d play with them and other days she’d sit on a rock and watch them as she read her books. 

***

Ardyn was 29 and Luna was 4 when they got a new addition to their household. 

One morning when Ardyn opened the door to hurry Luna out of the house and off to school he found a basket with a tiny baby inside. Curious, Ardyn brought the baby into the house and set the basket onto the kitchen table. The baby babbled as he slept and as Ardyn picked the infant out of the basket he noticed a note. The paper was stark white and written in the fanciest font Ardyn could imagine was,

‘Dear Whoever reads this,

I’m sorry for leaving a child on your door steps, but it was my only choice. Last night his father was assassinated and as the child’s mother I felt it was my duty to protect him. By the time you read this letter I will probably be dead. I asked a nice women from town to hide my son and cannot know where he’ll end up. 

His name is Noctis and he’s yet to reach his first year. My darling son who I can’t believe came from me only a few months ago. His birthday is the 30th of August. Please take the time to celebrate it with his since I cannot. Is it wrong of me to want to hold him again? I hope not. Please, I’ve never met you and I doubt I ever will but please love my son for me. He deserves only happiness and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t give him that.

Sincerely,

Noctis’s mother

P.S I have enclosed another letter for Noctis. Please give it to him on his 20th birthday.’

The first thing Ardyn realised was that he now held the life of the previous chosen king of light in his hands. He could do whatever he felt like to the boy. However, despite his actions in the past, Ardyn never hated the boy. In fact, Ardyn felt something closer to kinship for they’d both just been tools in the Astrals’ game. Ardyn knew for a fact that Noctis’s past life had been horrible and from the letter Ardyn could guess that this life too wasn’t supposed to be happy for the boy either. At that moment Ardyn decided that he would keep the boy and raise him as his son.

“So,” Ardyn spoke to no one in particular, “Do I call you Noctis Izunia or should I honour your past life and call you Noctis Lucis Caelum?” 

When Ardyn spoke Lucis Caelum Noct opened his eyes and let out a happy baby gurgle. Ardyn took that as agreement and decided that Noct would once again be known as a Lucis Caelum. 

Now that Noctis was awake Ardyn could get a good look at the child. The only conclusion the Ardyn could come to was that Noctis’s mother was correct; Noctis was a precious, precious child. His blue eyes were bright and fluttered from place to place as he explored the world around him. His skin was pale and soft in a clear contrast to his midnight black hair the flowed into his eyes at times. 

Ardyn was so entranced by Noctis that he didn’t noticed that Luna had retrieved her backpack and was ready to leave until she asked, “Father? Are you ready to go?”

Ardyn jumped slightly before smiling at her. He beckoned her closer, “Look, Luna. This is Noctis. He’s going to be your little brother from now on.”

Luna stared at Noct for a long time. “I’ve never had a younger brother before, can I hold him?”

“Of course you can.” Ardyn told his daughter. He made sure that she was seated before placing the infant into her awaiting arms. Luna’s gaze was soon filled with only Noctis and Ardyn watched as she too fell in love with the boy in her arms. Both Luna and Ardyn decided right there and then that they would make sure that Noctis had a childhood filled with only happiness.

Luna didn’t go to school that day nor did Ardyn go to work. Instead the new family of three spent the day together.

***

Noctis had a happy childhood he never wanted for anything and his cheerful laughter could often be heard around the neighbourhood. Often times he was accompanied by both his father and his sister who were very overprotective. Noctis loved his father and his sister and he never asked about his mother. He would see other children go home with their mothers and would at times wonder where his mother was but his father always seemed sad when Noctis mentioned the word mother so Noct never asked.

Luna was an excellent big sister. She would often read to Noct whenever he asked her too and would answer any question she could that Noct asked. Ardyn would often return home to find Luna doing homework with Noct sitting right beside her asking her about math and English and whatever else caught his attention. 

Ardyn was asked many questions as well. If Luna didn’t know that answer to one of Noct’s questions the two would hunt Ardyn down and demand an answer. Ardyn didn’t mind and he was often thankful that he’d lived for as long as he had and knew as much as he did because his two kids asked about everything. Everything. From questions about why ants can lift so much stuff to why the world was round to why the kid next door was being mean. At the same time Ardyn continued to read to Luna and Noctis. He loved to read to them before bed and would often go out of his way to make his children laugh.

Ardyn could honestly say that he was truly enjoying his life and that he was thankful to the Astrals for allowing him this chance. 

***

Ardyn was 33 when he discovered that Noct was a genius. 

On a warm spring day Luna and her friend/classmate Ignis were working on a project together. Although Ignis was two years younger than Luna his parents pushed him hard and he’d been smart enough to skip his first and second grade to join Luna in the third grade. The two had become sort of friends and were happy enough to work together on a project. 

They were at Luna’s house and Noct had wandered over to wait until Luna was done working so she could read him a book. Noct sat patiently as Luna and Ignis finished their project and decided to work a bit on their math.

Ardyn had already arrived home and had offered to read to Noct while Luna worked but Noct was stubborn. He declared that he would wait for Luna. And so, Ardyn watched in amusement as Noct became more and more irritated at Luna until he finally snapped. Noct stood up (which was rather adorable to Ardyn and Luna since he quite a small child) and snatched Luna’s math sheet. He then went through the whole thing quickly; scribbling answers as he went. 

It took Noct 5 minutes to do the page and when he was done he thrusted the work at Luna and said, “You’re done. Now can you please read to me?”

Luna and Ardyn were dumbfounded. They didn’t expect Noct to be able to do math that was years above his own. Noct hadn’t even started kindergarten yet! Ignis, on the other hand, picked up the sheet of paper and examined the answers before comparing them to his own. He was intrigued when he found that Luna’s baby brother had answered them all correctly. Ignis then turned to Noct and asked, “Can you do that again for me?”

Noct looked at Ignis and boldly declared, “I will if you’ll read to me.”

Ignis agreed and the two retreated to Noct’s room to read books. Luna and Ardyn didn’t move for some time as they pondered what Noct’s newly discovered talent would mean. They were starting to realise that maybe they should have been suspicious when Noct came to them and asked complex questions about school oriented topics. They felt as if they’d failed Noct as he would now no longer have a normal childhood. 

On the bright side, after that day Ignis and Noct became the best of friends and Noct was always excited when Ignis visited after school. 

***

Ardyn was 37 when his world came crashing down around him. It had been an ordinary fall day, the air crisp and clear. Ardyn had stayed late at his office that day and he’d been in the middle of a meeting when an attendant entered the room without permission. 

The men and women around the table flung insults at her about her incompetence and how Ardyn should fire her immediately. The attendant ignored them and approached Ardyn with fear in her eyes. She spoke in a tight voice, “Mr. Izunia, the hospital called.”

“What?!” Ardyn exclaimed. He was certain that he had no upcoming appointments. 

The women shrunk into herself as she spoke once more. Her words spiralling Ardyn in a fevered panic, “It’s your son, Noctis. He was caught up in a house fire and is now at the hospital.”

Ardyn had never run so fast in his (admittedly long) life. He burst into the hospital to find the sitter crying in the waiting room. She apologised over and over, repeatedly saying that the whole thing was her fault. If she hadn’t let Noct run around while she was cooking or if she’d been more careful. 

Ardyn couldn’t blame the girl. She’d been taking care of Noct for a while now whenever both he and Luna were away. Ardyn knew that she loved the sweet boy who always wanted to ask questions with those big curious eyes. He sent her home still in tears and told her that he’d let her know when Noct woke up.

Luna showed up not long after the sitter left. She’d been at a club activity and hadn’t been there for the fire. She sat glumly by Ardyn’s side and the two waited for the doctors to come and tell them of Noct’s condition. 

At that moment Ardyn wanted to rush into the emergency room and take over. He wanted to be the doctor to examine his son but he could not. Not only could he not because he was his father, but Ardyn also couldn’t because he didn’t want anyone to know that Noct was his son. He’d spend a lifetime attempting to shelter Noct and Luna from the spotlight of newspapers and magazines. He couldn’t spark article and article by taking over Noct’s operation. Even if they never made the connection between Noct and Ardyn they would still want to be involved with Ardyn’s family. Ardyn couldn’t have that and so he had to wait for the far inferior doctors to finish their examinations. 

Finally, a nurse emerged from Noct’s room to tell the family the news, “Mr. Izunia, I’m sorry to say this but your son is in a coma.”

“What!” Ardyn was terrified. Noct couldn’t be in a coma. Most people in comas never woke up.

Ardyn’s outburst clued Luna in to the fact that this wasn’t a story book where Noct would wake up soon. A frown spread over her mouth and her eyes darkened. She desperately prayed that Noct would be alright. At that moment she would have agreed to anything. 

“I’m sorry sir,” the nurse continued, “There’s nothing more we can do for him at this moment. At present you are allowed to visit.”

The nurse left shortly, leaving the ragged family of three together in the small hospital room. Noct laid there, unmoving. This was so unlike the normally cheerful boy who was always scampering off around the house or through the neighbourhood if he wasn’t reading. Luna burst into tears at the sight of her brother. She wept as she held onto Noct’s hand crying, ‘Noct, Noct, Noct’. Ardyn felt powerless. He couldn’t help his son nor could he help his daughter. He tried his best, however, and pulled Luna into a tight huge as she wailed for her brother. 

A week went by and then two. Everyday Luna and Ardyn would visit Noct after school and work. Luna would tell Noct about her day and what he missed while Ardyn would read Noct story after story in hopes of him waking up. By this point Ardyn was beginning to worry. Noct’s chance of recovery worsened everyday the passed. 

Ignis too visited often. He would sit by Noct’s side and talk about things. He would always wait to see if Noct would respond with questions and when he did not Ignis would take it upon himself to ask a nearby nurse all sorts of questions because Noct could not. Often times Ignis would leave a book in Noct’s room when he left. The next time he came he’d bring another and take home the one he’d previously left. When Ignis was gone Ardyn would read his book to Noct. 

One day, as Ardyn arrived at the hospital he overheard a conversation between Ignis and Luna. He originally meant to barge in and interrupt the conversation, but when he could finally hear them what he heard surprised him into listening further. 

“I want to become a doctor,” Luna had started with. Or perhaps it wasn’t. Those were simply the first words Ardyn heard.

“What’s brought this on?” Ignis asked.

“I feel so helpless right now. Do you remember when I told you that I was adopted? I watched my mother die right in front of me.”

“What does that have to do with right now?” Ardyn couldn’t help but smile. Ignis was a smart child, but at times he could be surprisingly dense. 

“I’ll tell you. Right now, Noct too is lying here and I am once again unable to help. I never want to feel so useless again. I’m going to be the best doctor ever so that I can help everyone who needs help.” Luna had a lot of conviction in her voice and Ardyn was happy that his daughter was so determined. Ignis, evidently, felt the same.

“That is a lofty goal. However, I’m sure that you can achieve it. I will help you in any way I can.”

Perhaps they would have gotten further with their conversation but at that moment Ardyn decided to enter the room. The two children clammed up the moment he entered. Ardyn never mentioned overhearing their conversation and Luna never mentioned her desire to become a doctor. Not until she was much, much older.

Three weeks after the accident, Noct woke up. Luna had been there when it happened. She’d just finished school and had hurried over to the hospital. She’d started her visit as she always did with a reading of her planner when Noct’s eyes started to flutter. She didn’t notice at first, so caught up in her reading, until Noct called out, “Luna? Is that you?”

Luna had been so surprised that she jumped. After that her eyes immediately found Noct’s and she was overjoyed when she glimpsed recognition in those deep blue eyes. The doctors streamed in after that and the next time Luna saw Noct he was once again asleep. The doctors and nurses assured Luna that this was just sleep. Noct was recovering and he’d eventually be able to stay awake for longer and longer. 

Ardyn was overjoyed when he heard that Noct had awaken. He severely regretted arriving an hour after Luna for he’d missed Noct’s awake period. He knew though that this was a good thing. His son was finally getting better. That night Luna and Ardyn slept peacefully for the first time since Noct’s accident. 

However, with Noct’s awakening a new trouble was found. Noct’s legs had been damaged in the fire. The doctors informed Ardyn that Noct would walk once more, but he’d need to use a wheelchair for the next year. Although Ardyn mourned the fact that Noct couldn’t just get back up and be the cheerful boy he was before Ardyn was glad that his son was alive and other problems could be sorted out at a later date. 

The recovery was slow and Noct was often irritated at his lack of mobility. After the accident Noct was no longer the happy child he’d once been. He was more withdrawn and even though he still asked his many questions he never wanted to do anything other than read. 

The neighbourhood children couldn’t understand why Noct couldn’t play with them. They hated the wheelchair and once when Ardyn wasn’t looking they pulled Noct out of the chair. However, Noct couldn’t support his own weight and soon fell to the ground. Ardyn had rescued Noct and gave the other children a firm scolding. Their mothers too scolded them and they all had to apologise. Through it all Noct hid his head in Ardyn’s chest. After that day Noct grew wary of strangers. He spent all his time with either Ardyn, Luna, or Ignis. 

Noct may not have been Ardyn’s bright and happy child anymore, but he was alive and that was all Ardyn could ask for.

***

Noct was 10 and had just readjusted to his legs again when Ardyn decided to sent him to a dojo. 

Noct’s past experiences taught Ardyn that Noct would need to be able to take care of himself. Unlike Luna, who was a master at using words to deflect people, Noct was withdrawn. Although Noct could easily hurt people with his words like Ardyn and Luna he was too nice and too shy to do any such thing. From this Ardyn decided that Noct would need to then be able to physically protect himself. 

Ardyn decided that Noct should learn kendo. He found it oddly appropriate since kendo was the closest Noct would come to learning to wield a real sword. He signed Noct up at the nearby dojo and drove Noct to class on his first day. 

Noct had been a twitching nervous mess and Ardyn had almost been afraid to leave Noct at the dojo. Noct seemed to be afraid of all the instructors who came near him. Even the nicest ones were enough to send Noct scampering back to Ardyn. Luckily, the owner’s son, Gladiolus Amicitia noticed Noct’s reluctance and ran over to join them. Gladiolus was three years older than Noct and although Noct was nervous around him at first within 15 minutes Gladiolus, or Gladio as he told them to call him (Noctis then told Gladio to call him Noct) became fast friends with Noct. Ardyn left after that with Gladio going through different beginner formations with Noct. 

When Ardyn returned to pick Noct up he was surprised to hear Noct’s laugh. After the incident 2 years ago Noct rarely laughed and only in front of Ignis, Luna, and himself. When Noct noticed his father he quickly ran over to hug Ardyn. Gladio approached Ardyn too but at a much slower speed. Behind Gladio was one of the instructors who quickly informed Ardyn that Gladio had offered to be Noct’s personal instructor. Ardyn had thanked Gladio and he knew then that Gladio would become one of Noct’s good friends. 

Noct had nothing but praise to say about Gladio that day as they drove home. Later, both Luna and Ignis would have to listen to Noct gush over Gladio. None of them minded and when Luna and Ignis later met Gladio they were happy to welcome him to Noct’s little group of friends. Ardyn would never admit this, but he was happy that Noct met Gladio when he did. Gladio brought Noct out of his slump and could always manage to light Noct’s eyes up with wonder. 

Noct enjoyed kendo with Gladio so much that he continued to do it year after year after year.

***

Every morning when Ardyn woke up he thanked the Astrals for this second chance at life. He never knew that he could be so happy to see a sleep girl walk into the kitchen while dragging her younger brother behind her. He never thought that two pinpoints of light could make his life worth living a thousand times over. He never thought that the two people he had wronged the most in his past life would now become his sole reason for living.

Ardyn was content with his life and despite all the hardships he’d had to get to this point Ardyn wouldn’t change a thing. He loved watching Noct grow from a bubbly infant to a reclusive 10 year old. He took great pride in witnessing Luna’s change from a frightened 2 year old to a strong and resourceful 14 year old who knew where she was heading in life. 

The past 12 years of his life had gone by much too fast for Ardyn and yet those 12 years made the eternity before it worth living. Ardyn was grateful to the Astrals, to his mother, and most of all to the two who’d given him the truest of happinesses. Noctis and Lunafreya. Ardyn thought of those names and smiled.

Ah yes, life was good. 


	2. Teenage Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I really have no excuse other than I did a lot of procrastinating. I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless.

Noct was 14 when Ardyn finally let him start high school. 

Noct had finished elementary school well before his peers and Ardyn couldn’t help but wonder if that was harming Noct more than it was doing him good. After that Ardyn had forbid Noct from entering high school until he was 14. Noct had had to watch his sister and friends leave him behind as they left to start the next chapter of their lives (not much changed except Noct had to study at home. His friends still came over often and Luna was always there to help him with questions he had.). Ardyn only wanted Noct to be able to interact with people his own age and he believed that high school was as good a time as any for Noct to learn how.

On his first day Noct had been terrified. His memories of people his own age weren’t pleasant and he constantly remembered what happened to him when he was 10. Even before that he’d never been popular among his peers. While he was quite outgoing when he knew the person, he quieted when he was with strangers. He’d been shy and reclusive whenever he ended up with someone his own age. 

Ardyn drove Noct to school and left him there. None of Noct’s friends or his sister were attending the same school (because Ardyn wanted Noct to be forced to make new friends and get along with people his own age without being able to simply rely on what friends he already had.) so Noct marched through the doors alone. 

Fear instantly crept up on his as he watched people all around him talk and joke and laugh. Everyone already seemed to have friends. Instead of joining any group, Noct slunked away to his locker. He been hoping to avoid any sort of confrontation and was succeeding until someone he knew saw him. Destin, who lived down the street from Noct, noticed him and called out, “Noctis, that you?”

Noct froze. He was caught. Noct turned and plastered a painful smile on his face. In his most pleasant voice he said, “Destin? I didn’t realise that you went here.”

Destin and his group paraded over to him. Destin had this wide smile on even though his eyes screamed confusion. Noct shifted nervously. Luckily Destin didn’t notice and went on talking, “I didn’t expect to see you here. Didn’t you skip a lot of grades?”

“He did?” A girl to Destin’s left asked, “He doesn’t look all that smart.”

“Yeah,” Destin replied without waiting for Noct to answer his question, “Most of the time when I saw him he was always reading a book. Apparently he did his sister’s homework for her when he was younger.”

“Wow,” A tall boy in the back exclaimed, “We’ve just encountered a first class nerd.”

The group, even Destin, snickered. They were starting to make Noct uncomfortable. They continued to ridicule Noct for a couple more minutes while Noct cowered before they let him off the hook and went on their way to their own classes. Destin had bade Noct good bye with a snide remark that made his clique gaffle. 

Noct then made his way to his first class and tried to forget his first interaction with people his own age since he’d been 8. High school classes were too simple for him so Noct tuned out the teachers and receded into himself. During lunch Noct went out of his way to avoid Destin and hid in the most remote place he could find. More boring classes came after lunch before Noct was released from school and he fled back to his house. 

The next few days followed a very similar pattern. Destin and his friends had spread word around the school that Noct should be universally teased and so Noct spent most of his time at school avoiding people in general. When he had to be around overs Noct wore a mask of ice and indifference. If the school wanted him to be an unapproachable nerd them Noct would happily comply. 

Noct’s ice demeanour carried over to his home life as well. As much as he tried to hide it Noct would at times be indifferent to what Luna or his father would tell him. Ardyn noticed Noct’s change in behaviour but didn’t see it as much of a concern. Luna, on the other hand, noticed what was going on and tried to talk to Noct.

She began her investigations one day when she arrived home to see Noct frowning at his homework. She walk up to him and asked, “Something wrong with your work? I’m sure that you’ve done many questions at a much higher difficulty level.”

Noct looked up from the paper before looking down and muttering, “It’s not the work.”

Luna’s older sister sense was tingling. She sat down across from Noct and set a hand gently against his cheek. “Is there something bothering you about school, dear Noctis? If there’re any problems don’t hesitate to tell father or I.”

“School’s fine.” Noct told his sister. 

Luna knew then that something wasn’t fine. Noct never used fine unless something was very much not fine. With haste, Luna called Ignis and explained her situation to him. She knew that there was something bothering Noct but she had no evidence. Ignis agreed to help her and the two spent many a days scouring the school and people. Sadly, they could never pinpoint what was going on. After a week of searching Noct realised what they were doing and told them to stop. They listened.

The subtle bullying continued until after Christmas break. For, with the changing of the year came a new face not yet touched by school malice. 

Prompto Argentum was by no means a normal boy. On the day he arrived Prompto practically bounced into class and began to introduce himself to everyone he saw. The rest of the morning passed in a similar manner and before long most people felt like they’d known him for much longer than a single morning. 

Prompto himself was quite happy. He’d put in so much time and effort to be more outgoing and now he couldn’t help but marvel at what he’d accomplished. In this school people seemed to like him! He wasn’t the weird guy with a camera who always sat alone. This time people were asking him if he wanted to eat lunch with them. People wanted to be friends with  _ Him _ . 

At lunch Prompto followed a his newfound friends to the cafeteria for lunch. However, when they entered Prompto noticed that the atmosphere seemed to drop by several degrees. He shivered. Looking around, Prompto noticed that everyone seemed to be on edge. Not liking being left out of the loop, Prompto tapped one of his friend’s shoulders and asked with a smile, “What’s with all the tension?”

All of Prompto’s new friends looked at him in amazement. The one he’d tapped fidgeted nervously as he replied, “You don’t know? That’s Noctis. Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

“You mean the old king?” Prompto asked, “I didn’t think that a long dead king could possible be attending our school.”

“Not that one,” Another friend answered, her high voice shook, “We forgot that this is your first day. You don’t know.”

“Know what?” 

The group huddled together as the ‘leader’ answered Prompto’s question, “See the boy in black there?”

“Yes.”

“That’s Noctis. I’m warning you now not to get close to him.”

“Why not?” Prompto was starting to see what was going on but he desperately hoped he was wrong.

“Just trust me on this,” The boy’s voice shook, “He’s bad news for all of us.”

The others took this as their chance to speak up.

“They say his mother’s a witch.”

“I heard that he once shamed the math teacher for having a wrong answer on a test.”

“He can freeze people solid with his stare.”

“He’s known as the ice queen.”

Prompto closed his eyes in defeat. This was exactly what he feared it would be. Prompto watched as Noctis exited the room with his back straight and head held high. Prompto couldn’t help but be impressed with the way Noct held himself against the blatant bullying. After Noct left Prompto excused himself from his ‘friends’ and followed Noct through the school. When Noct finally stopped and sat down Prompto began his approach.

Noct let out a sigh once he’d sat down in his secret hide away. He hated lunch the most. There were no teachers to keep the students in line and so the air just flooded with malice. Now, away from the student bodies’ hatred Noct could let down his shields for the remainder of lunch. Or so he thought until he heard a voice say, “So this is where the great Noctis eats his lunch.”

Noct’s guard immediately raised before his eyes met friendly blue ones. Noct let his guard down some. The eyes that looked at Noct were kind unlike many others he’d witnessed at school. They reminded him of his sister’s eyes. Noct couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone in his school look at him as the boy in front of his did. Without thinking Noct spoke an almost vulnerable voice, “Who are you?”

Prompto was a little surprised by the tone of Noct’s voice. When he’d approached Noct Prompto was prepared for hatred and to be yelled at. Or if not that then to be brushed aside by the boy who’d been bullied by his entire school. He wasn’t prepared for the earnest and frightened tone Noctis used. Prompto smiled wide. This boy was strong. Prompto knew then that he wanted Noctis to be his friend. 

“Hey,” Prompto greeted, “I’m Prompto. Let’s be friends.”

Noct didn’t know what to say, so he simply gestured for the boy- Prompto- to take a seat beside him. Prompto sat with a flourish and engaged Noct in conversation. Noct liked Prompto. Prompto was nice and funny and best of all he never judged Noct for being too quiet or for knowing too many things. Noct decided that if Prompto would continue to be his friend then school wouldn’t be that bad. 

For his part, Prompto liked hanging out with Noct (Once they’d established that they were friends the first thing Noct had made Prompto promise was to stop calling him Noctis. Prompto was happy to oblige.) because Noct was smart and funny. Some of their interests aligned like video games and certain books, but even for ones that Noct wasn’t interested in he would listen. Noct listened to Prompto when he went on and on about cameras even though Noct had never held one in his life. (After hearing this Prompto quickly made plans for them to meet up some time so he could show Noct photography.) 

With Prompto hanging around Noct at all times during school (literally, Prompto would even find Noct right after their class end and walk Noct to his next class. Noct would always smile when Prompto showed up, so Prompto took that as a win.) other people began to warm up to Noct. They wouldn’t talk to him when Prompto wasn’t there, but they didn’t actively avoid him anymore. 

Ardyn and Luna had been overjoyed when Noct brought Prompto home for the first time. Luna had turned Prompto into a sputtering mess in seconds before announcing that he was a sweetheart. Ardyn had merely looked at Prompto with a knowing eye and welcomed him to the family. Prompto didn’t quite know what Ardyn meant by that until he met Ignis and Gladio. After that he learned that although Noct made few friends the ones he did make were very close knit indeed. (Ardyn knew why that was but he wasn’t telling anyone.)

Noct was 14 and a half when he decided that high school might be fun after all.

***

Ardyn was 44 when Luna was accepted into University.

Exam season had been over for some time and Luna was beginning to become more and more nervous. Everyday she’d pick up the mail and root through the envelopes in search of a letter from the university. She hadn’t told her Ardyn or Noct yet despite Noct’s interrogation. Ardyn had a good idea of what she was trying to do but he never mentioned it. (He kept the secret from Luna’s childhood. Since then he’d seen her studying his old medical textbooks, but he never told her that either.) 

One day Ardyn arrived home to find Luna laying on the couch with a fairly depressing mood hanging over her. Ardyn worried for his daughter so he crept over to where she lay and sat down next to her. Instinctively, Luna set her head in his lap. Ardyn gently stroked her hair as he asked, “What’s wrong darling? Normally I come home to you digging through the mail.”

Luna buried her head into his chest and he felt tears wet his shirt, “It’s pointless. It’s been so long that I’ve probably haven’t gotten in. I was an idiot for applying to only one university, but I’d been so sure. I wanted- I only wanted to go there.”

“Hush now,” Ardyn told her, “I’m sure the university’s just not sure how to write the letter. I bet you were their top candidate and completely blinded them by your sheer brilliance.” 

“I doubt it,” Luna mumbled, but she didn’t seem quite as upset as before.

The two of them sat together on the couch like that for a long while. They sat in silence as Luna cuddled Ardyn and he in turn held her close and comforted her. They stayed like that until they heard the door open and slam shut: a sure sign that Noct had returned from Kendo.

They listened as Noct first entered the kitchen and stop. After a few moments they heard Noct’s footsteps once more, but they moved quicker this time, and were heading towards them. Noct burst into the living room with a smile. He held up an envelope that he’d been hold and gave it to Luna. With a bright smile he announced, “It’s from the university. Read it, read it, read it!”

Luna accepted the letter and ripped the envelope open. After that she read the letter with a straight face. Ardyn couldn’t tell if it was good news or bad. He was a supportive dad and he knew that Luna was an excellent student, but he couldn’t stop the pessimistic voice in the back of his head that whispered into his ear that Luna might not have made her dream. The voice was quickly squashed when Luna’s face blossomed into a ridiculous grin. 

“I made it in!” Luna practically sang. She danced across the room as she repeated the phrase over and over and over. “I made it. I made it. I made it.”

Ardyn watched as she voice took on an almost maniacal sound and as Noct joined her in her victory dance. He watched his two children make a fool of themselves and realised that perhaps this is what pride felt like. 

***

Noct was 15 years old when he decided to participate in his first kendo tournament.

Ardyn had never forced Noct into tournaments and acknowledged that Noct did kendo because he liked it, not because he wanted to compete. Gladio didn’t understand that and was always hounding Noct to enter. Finally, after 5 years of training Noct relented. 

Now Noct was a shivering mess. He desperately didn’t want to fight in his match. Gladio had disappeared after wishing Noct well, he had his own competition to worry about. Now Noct sat alone as he prayed that something- anything- would happen so he wouldn’t have to go. Unfortunately the nothing was going his way that day and fight after fight happened. Soon it would be his turn to go. 

From the audience Ardyn could see that Noct looked nervous. However, as a spectator he couldn’t approach the competitors. Luna and Prompto seemed oblivious to Noct’s discomfort as they bickered. Prompto was convinced that Noct would win his entire division while Luna had a more pragmatic outlook: Noct would do well but wouldn’t get past the preliminary rounds. Ignis alone was watching Noct as Noct’s hands shook and frowned. Ardyn sometimes found it a little disconcerting how at times Ignis knew things that not even Ardyn, Noct’s father, knew. 

“Is Noct alright?” Ignis asked Ardyn quietly as Luna attempted to explain kendo to the ignorant Prompto.

“I don’t know,” Ardyn admitted, “But, Noct decided to do this so we must respect his wishes.”

“Of course.” With that Ignis turned to once again watch Noct. Ardyn took that as Ignis’s agreement and he too returned to watch Noct despite the loud sounds of kendo battles going on around them. 

After so much time spent waiting and praying, it was just about Noct’s turn to fight. Now, his hands were shaking so hard that he worried that his opponent could feel the vibrations. He was so busy in his own head thinking about all the ways he could screw up that he didn’t notice that someone had approached him.

“Hey!” Noct jumped. Before him stood a tall man with long brown hair that was set in tiny braids down his back. The man’s eyes bore into Noct’s in a piercing stare and Noct couldn’t help but admire his deep blue eyes. 

Finally Noct realised that he’d been staring at the man. Noct fumbled a bit as he said, “Um, hello?”

The man laughed. Noct thought that his laugh sounded nice. It definitely helped settle his nerves. “I’ve never seen you kid, you new?”

It took Noct a moment to realise the man was talking to him. Noct blushed, this had been the second time he’d been caught staring. He quickly filled the silence with, “Yeah.”

The man smiled and it took Noct’s breath away, “You’ll do fine. Think of it this way, at least you’re not in Gladiolus Amicitia’s rank. I’ve seen many people come away crying with many bruises after fights with him.”

Noct smiled. The man didn’t seem to know that Noct knew just how terrifying Gladio could be. Gladio was Noct’s teacher, so of course Noct knew how good Gladio was. Part of Noct wanted to tell the man in front of him about Gladio but instead he just asked, “Are you in the same group?”

His reply was a confident smirk and a short nod. 

“Are you nervous?” Noct cocked his head to the side in question.

His smirk didn’t diminish when he answered, “Hell yeah.”

The man walked off after that with a simple, “You’ll do fine.” Noct didn’t feel confident but the man’s word inspired him. He went on to do quite well in the tournament. In the end Noct surpassed Luna’s expectations but he didn’t quite meet Prompto’s. Noct managed to reach the semifinals before he was beaten. 

After changing into regular clothes, Noct joined his friends and family on the bleachers to help cheer Gladio on. Gladio completely dominated his competition. Noct didn’t believe that there would be any other conclusion since Gladio was the best fighter that Noct knew (aside from Gladio’s father and sister.) and Gladio was always training to get better.

However, Noct also noticed that he recognised Gladio’s opponent. At first Noct didn’t know who the man was, but with a start Noct realised that it was the man who encouraged him at the beginning of his first match. Noct watched in amazement as Gladio and Nyx (as Noct would soon learn that the man’s name was Nyx Ulric and that he was a good friend of Gladio) duked it out.

Ardyn looked over and noticed the look on Noct’s face. Just form that, Ardyn knew that he would see this Nyx Ulric again. 

***

Ardyn was 45 when Noct admitted to Ardyn that he was gay.

The house had been quiet when Ardyn returned home that day. Luna wasn’t yet home from university yet and Noct was nowhere to be seen. Ardyn hadn’t thought much of  it since Noct would often lock himself up in his bedroom when he wanted to think. Without much thought, Ardyn moved to the kitchen to make dinner. 

However, when dinner was done and Ardyn called out to Noct to eat, Noct didn’t emerge from his bedroom. At this point Ardyn began to feel concerned. No matter how much homework Noct had or even if Noct had yet to figure out what he was thinking about, Noct always removed himself from whatever he was doing to eat dinner with his family. Ardyn nervously crept up the stairs to Noct’s room and gently knocked on the door.

“Noct,” Ardyn called out, “ Did you hear me? It’s time to eat.”

No reply came, nor did any sign that Noct heard him. Ardyn’s fear rose to insurmountable heights; he hadn’t been so scared since he received a call from the hospital when Noct was eight. Unable to wait any longer Ardyn tore open the door and entered. Ardyn didn’t know what he was expecting; perhaps blood on the floor or to find Noct suffocating, maybe even to find Noct unconscious. Whatever it was, Ardyn was not prepared to find Noct sitting on the bed: silent and unmoving. 

Ardyn took a seat beside Noct and wrapped an arm around his son, “What’s the matter, Noct?”

Finally, after a few moment of the two just sitting there, Noct looked up at Ardyn and asked in a quiet voice, “Is there something wrong with me?”

Ardyn was taken aback. Why would Noct be asking such questions? In Ardyn’s mind Noct had been perfect since the moment he found baby Noct on his doorsteps. Ardyn was quick to reassure Noct that there was nothing wrong with him.

Noct thought that over for a few minutes before speaking again, “Sometimes I feel different than the other boys at school: even Prompto.”

“What is it, Noctis?” Ardyn needed to know. If there was actually something wrong with his son he would move heaven and hell to correct it. Not even the astrals would be able to stop him.

“Well,” Noct started as he curled into himself. Ardyn cradled the Noct ball and waited for Noct to find the words he needed, “The other boys are always talking about girls and I- I never- I’m never able to understand what’s so good about girls. I tried asking Prompto once and he looked at me like I was crazy. And then today I- I - I-”

Noct broke off and Ardyn could see how scared Noct looked as he tried to make himself even smaller than before. Ardyn stroked Noct’s hair just like he did with Luna when she worried about not getting into university. He then gently prodded Noct to continue, “C’mon sweetheart. You’ve already told me half; do tell me the rest.”

Noct nodded absently before he gathered his thoughts and spoke plainly, “Today I found myself attracted to another guy.” 

Ardyn was shocked. He never suspected that Noct was gay in his past life. Ardyn had been so sure that Noct had loved Luna in his past life, but from what Ardyn could see, this life was eerily similar to the one Noct had lived in his past life. If Noct was gay in this life then he was most likely also gay in his last life as well. With his mind blown, Ardyn could do nothing but gap at Noct in surprise.

Unfortunately, Noct took this as a sign of disappointment and started to babble with tears in his eyes, “I’m sorry, father. I won’t talk about it ever again. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me. I’ll try to like a girl if that’s what you want. Please, don’t hate me.”

Noct’s hysterics drew Ardyn out of his head. After realising what Noct must have thought, Ardyn was horrified; he’d never meant to make Noct hate himself. Once again, Ardyn wrapped his arms around Noct, “I could never hate you, Noct. You are my son and I will always love you no matter what.”

Perhaps other parents would condone their children for being gay, but in Ardyn’s eyes Noct was still perfect in every way. 

***

On Noct’s 16th birthday Ardyn found out that Luna and Prompto were in love.

For Noct’s 16th birthday it had been Prompto’s idea to have a surprise party. Luna was on board almost immediately, Gladio was smiling the moment Prompto brought up the idea and even Ardyn had to admit that it sounded like fun. Ignis hadn’t been so sure but he relented after a few minutes of Prompto’s badgering. The party would take place at Ardyn’s house on the day of Noct’s birthday. Ignis and Ardyn were in charge of food, and Prompto and Luna would decorate the house, while Gladio distracted Noct. 

And so, on the day of the party Ardyn and Ignis went to the store to buy the food they needed for cooking; leaving Prompto and Luna at the house to decorate. After Ignis and Ardyn finished shopping they went their separate ways. Ignis was to return to his own home to bake the cake while Ardyn would return to his house to not only make dinner but also to make sure Prompto hadn’t covered the whole house in streamers. 

When Ardyn returned home and opened the door he was happy (and also a little surprised) to find that Prompto had, for once, hadn’t gone overboard. Streamers ran along the walls in every room near the ceiling and nowhere else, while balloons were tied to wall fixtures and a few birthday signs were taped in appropriate spaces. (Ardyn was sure that Luna had done most of the planning and had simply directed Prompto who would have been all too happy to obliged.) Ardyn was pleased with the end result and decided to start on dinner right away. (He had thought that he would have had to order Prompto to change all the decorations.)

However, when he entered the kitchen he realised that he hadn’t heard either Prompto or Luna since he returned. Just as he was about to call out to them he heard sounds coming from the living room. Curious, Ardyn went to investigate and found Luna and Prompto making out on the couch. In surprise Ardyn blurted out, “Would you look at that.”

Luna and Prompto sprung apart when they heard Ardyn talk and looked like bunnies caught in headlights. “Mr. Izunia,” Prompto started, but Ardyn wouldn’t hear of it. 

With a smile Ardyn asked, “How long has this been going on?”

“Almost a year,” Luna admitted, “I’m sorry father, we really did want to tell you and Noct, but we weren’t sure how to. Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad, Lunafreya,” Ardyn told her, “I’m just a little upset that you didn’t tell me sooner.”

Ardyn had to excuse himself not too long after to make dinner. As much as he’d like to talk to Luna and Prompto and inquire about how their romance had come to be, he didn’t have that time if he was going to finish dinner in time. At this moment, Noct’s birthday was more important than Luna and Prompto’s romance. 

An hour and a half later Ardyn heard the door open. He knew that Luna and Prompto probably hadn’t heard judging by the lack of Prompto babble coming from the living room. Ardyn figured that it was Ignis with the cake, so Ardyn didn’t bother meeting him at the door. However, Ardyn was not prepared to hear Noct’s voice exclaim in his usually loud manner, “What the hell!”

Ardyn hurried to the living room where he found Noct standing at the entrance as he stared at Luna and Prompto who’d froze when they heard Noct’s voice. Like they did with Ardyn Luna and Prompto explained to Noct that they were a couple and how they never meant to keep it a secret. By the end of it Noct’s brows were furrowed, but he said, “Okay, so my sister and best friend are in a relationship. Okay, okay, cool.”

“Are you really okay with it, Noct?” Prompto asked, “You don’t seem all that happy.”

“It’s not that,” Noct quickly reassured Prompto, “I’m just wondering how I missed it.”

“We were very careful,” Luna told her brother, “We didn’t want anyone to find out.”

“Alright,” Noct decided, “I just have one thing to say.”

“What’s that?” Prompto asked.

Noct then turned to Luna and told her with a straight face, “You better not hurt him.”

“What!?” Prompto exclaimed, “I thought if you would say that it would be to me, not Luna.”

Noct smiled, “Prompto, you can’t even hurt a fly. In every single one of your relationship stories that you’ve told me, they always hurt you not the other way around. On the other hand, Luna is very good at hurting people with harsh words. It’s much more likely that my sister will hurt you and you’re my best friend.”

Prompto blushed bright red, “Thanks Noct. Hey, could you do me a favour and not tell Ignis or Gladio just yet. I want to tell them myself later.”

“It’s a little too late for that.” A voice informed them. Standing in the doorway with a slight smile was Ignis and not too far behind him was Gladio. They had heard the whole thing. 

“What?” Prompto said as he pointed at Gladio, “You’re not supposed to be here yet.”

“I was thinking the same thing myself,” Ignis said as he too turned to Gladio, “Weren’t you supposed to distract Noct for another hour?”

“S’not my fault,” Gladio defended, “Something about new research on harnessing elemental power was just discovered today. Noct wanted to get home as soon as possible and look it up.”

“Hey! This could answer so many questions currently unknown about the Lucis Caelum family and the daemons. Right now many people are speculating that the daemons and the Lucis Caelum’s magic are simply myth, but if this study has positive results it could answer so many unanswered questions. I need to do more research.” Noct said in an overly enthusiastic tone. (Ardyn knew the answers to all of Noct’s questions, but he’d never tell his son that.)

“Wait,” Prompto said, “Didn’t you just say that the research was just mentioned today? I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to find papers or anything on the internet about it just yet.”

“I can still find stuff,” Noct said defensively. Everyone in the room instantly knew what he was talking about.

“Noctis Lucis Caelum, you are not hacking into government computers again!” Ardyn scolded his son in a loud voice. The first time had been traumatic enough.

“No one ever connected it to me.” Noct said.

“Maybe, but we don’t need you to create international conflict again like you did last time.” Ignis reminded Noct. Last time Lucis had been so worried that Nifelheim had hacked them that they’d been on high alert for months. Luckily it had blown over after some time and lots of explaining from Nifelheim diplomats that their country was not responsible. 

“Fine,” Noct said, almost sulking.

“Cheer up buddy,” Prompto said, “It’s your birthday after all.”

“Exactly,” Luna joined and Prompto blew her a kiss in response. The two acted like love birds for the rest of the evening.

Ardyn watched Luna and Prompto and how they seemed to just fit together. In their past life they probably never met, but Ardyn could see how happy they would have made each other. Ardyn smiled, perhaps this life was a gift to everyone and not just Ardyn despite him being the only one to know it. 

Sometimes life just worked like that, Ardyn thought and he couldn’t keep himself from smiling even wider. 

***

Raising two teenagers had been a trying time for Ardyn, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Noct and Luna had sprouted up and grew taller and taller (though in the end Luna was taller than Noct. Noct grumbled about it a lot but Ardyn and Luna would just laugh. In the end Noct was the shortest of them all.) and with that they had become more mature. Luna was as she had always been; poised and graceful, like the princess she once was. Noct had opened up more though, and made a new best friend. 

Both of them had gone through trying times and they’d become strong from it. Luna was less scared of failure and more likely to try new things, while Noct was more open about himself and less likely to bottle up his feelings. They’d grown strong and Ardyn had no doubt that they would take the world by storm in their adult lives. He couldn’t wait to see Luna and Noct as a part of the adult world (even though the thought made him realise that he was getting old.). Ardyn’s two beautiful children had grown to adults and now they were grown in love and life. He couldn’t be prouder.

Life was moving on and Ardyn still saw each and every day as a blessing, for how could he, the once was accursed, now have everything he’d never known he wanted. Luna and Noct were the best things to ever happen to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter I wrote about many things that I've never experienced in my own life so I apologise for any inaccuracies in my story. However, it's a fanfiction so I think I'm allowed a little bit of leeway. Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter out soon, but no guarantee. Bye!


	3. Adult Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this time the chapter took forever. In fact, if you waited this long for this chapter I really don't know what to say to you. Maybe thank you? And if you just started reading this fic then I commend you for reaching this far. Anyway, like always I hope you enjoy my terrible writing, (because if you don't then I really don't know why you've read this far).

Noct was 19 when his heart was broken for the first time.

Ardyn had returned home early that day and was looking forward to a nice and relaxing evening. He could hear two voices coming from the living room, but he merely passed it off as Noct and one of his friends. It wasn’t until he entered the living room to greet who he believed to be Prompto that he found to his surprise a boy he’d never seen before.

In his surprise Ardyn summoned his old persona and stated, “Well, what do we have here?”

Noct quickly turned to look at Ardyn with an almost guilty expression. The boy besides him noticed Noct’s tension and wrapped an arm around his waist before asked Noct, “Who’s he? Do you know him?”

Okay, Ardyn was a little miffed. How dare that boy enter his home and act all lovey dovey with his son! However, before Ardyn could give the boy a piece of his mind Noct interfered, “That’s my dad. I did tell you that I’m adopted right?”

The boy shot Noct a skeptical look, “That’s your father?”

“Yes, I am Noctis’s father,” Ardyn said. He was tired of being talked about as if he wasn’t in the room, “The name’s Ardyn. Now, how about you return the favour and give me your name?”

Annoyingly, the boy ignored Ardyn’s request and turned to Noct once more, “You didn’t tell your father about me?”

At this point Noct appeared very guilty. For a few moments he kept quiet before finally admitting what both of the other parties wanted to hear, “Right, sorry. Dad, this is Niles, my boyfriend. Niles this is my father.”

Ardyn felt a smidge of satisfaction at this Niles’s question being left unanswered, but it quickly vanished when he comprehended just what Noct was saying. This boy was Noct’s boyfriend! Ardyn wasn’t ready for this. Noct was practically his daughter (Luna didn’t count since she could take care of herself. Noct on the other hand wasn’t so good with people, so Ardyn knew Noct was more likely to be hurt.) and Ardyn wasn’t ready to have his son date other people. At least with Luna she fell in love with someone Ardyn already knew and who was a sweet as a person could possibly be. Ardyn would have to watch this boy.

As much as Ardyn wanted to be an overall asshole to the boy he couldn’t. Noct looked at him with so much love that Ardyn couldn’t possibly do anything. In return, Niles’s gaze made Ardyn weary. At first Ardyn couldn’t place the look in his eyes. However, soon it hit him. Niles looked at Noct with a gaze Ardyn was intimately familiar with. A look he himself had had all too often in his previous life. A look of jealousy and hate.

Ardyn wasn’t surprised when 3 weeks later he learned the Noct had broken up with his boyfriend. Ardyn had returned home to the sounds of crying and he immediately knew what was wrong. Just as always Ardyn approached his sniffling child and wrapped him up tightly. They sat together for a long time before Noct finally asked Ardyn in a small voice, “Am I unlovable?”

“What? No, of course not!” Ardyn was quick to respond.

Noct didn’t seem to believe him or at least didn’t seem to hear him as he carried on with his depressed monologue, “I don’t have many friends. Only three and for the most part they approached me. I have you and Luna, but you’re required to love me.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Ardyn told his son, “The people you are close to love you more than any other friends I have ever seen.”

The advice was true on so many levels. Ardyn remembered in his previous life how he’d been so impressed by the strong bonds of friendship Noct and his friends had had then and that relationship seemed to have transpired lifetimes. So many people came to love Noct after only a few moments in his presence. Ardyn believed it to be the same for Niles, but he couldn't deal with the fact that he’d have to share Noct’s love, for Noct loved many. However, Ardyn could never tell his son that the one he’d ‘loved’ had abandoned him because of his loving nature. No, Ardyn would sooner tell Noct that he’d scared Niles off than reveal that Noct’s very nature had driven Niles off. And so with nothing else to say Ardyn told his son, “I’m sure he just wasn’t the one for you. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, as they say.”

Noct then asked his father one question that left Ardyn completely baffled, “Do you think I’ll ever find someone to love like Prompto and Luna?”

“Say that again,” Ardyn didn’t know what to say to Noct. This life was so eerily similar to the previous one and Ardyn had always believed that Noct loved Luna in his previous life. Or, if not Luna then Ardyn believed that Noct didn’t love anyone that way at all. However, he never expected Prompto and Luna to fall in love so perhaps the universe did have surprises that not even Ardyn The Accursed could predict.

Noct, losing patience with his father repeated his question, “Do you think I’ll ever find love?”

“I honestly can’t say,” Ardyn finally replied, “Not everyone gets a perfect ending. That being said, I still believe that you will have a joyous and happy life.”

Noct smiled at that and curled up against Ardyn’s side. Ardyn prayed to the astrals as Noct slumbered under his arm that Noct would indeed have a pleasant life. Noct had already pulled the short end of the stick. He deserved all the happiness in the world.

***

Luna was 23 when she met her blood brother once more.

Luna had been visiting the Luciian museum of Magic with Noct. After weeks of persistent babbling and asking, Noct had finally convinced Luna to go to the museum with him. Now, finally in the museum Luna watched him with a serene smile as Noct flittered between exhibits. Noct’s excitement reminder her of day long past well before the fire stole her brother’s enthusiasm away. She let her mind drift as Noct read something about the havens that spotted the landscape.

She wasn’t pulled away from her thoughts until she heard someone call out her name, “Luna?”

Luna turned around, expecting to find Noct done with this exhibit and read to move onto the next. Instead, she finds a silver haired man gazing intently at her. Luna huffed a bit as she went to answer the man in front of her, “Who are you? I’ll have you know that I have a boyfriend.”

The man was started as he quickly moved to correct himself, “N-no, it’s not like that. My name’s Ravus. Sorry, you just looked like my sister. I lost her -”

Luna cut him off there, “Ravus? Are you really Ravus?”

“Er, yes. Ravus Nox Fleuret.” The man replied. Luna wasted no time in smothering him in a hug not long after.

“It’s you. It’s really you!” Luna called out as she squished the air out of her brother. Tears prickled Luna’s eyes, but she ignored them. Right now nothing was more important than finding the brother she’d thought she’d lost forever.

Luna was so swept up in her old brother that she failed to notice her new one until Noct called out to her, “Luna! Who’s he?”

Upon hearing Luna’s name come out of a stranger male’s name Ravus released Luna from his hold and turned on the boy. Ravus’s first thought was that he was short. Really short. Or maybe Luna was just tall. The next thing he noticed was how different the two looked standing besides each other. Luna was so very angelic in appearances with her gorgeous blond hair and sky blue eyes (it didn’t help that she was also wearing a pure white dress). The boy, on the other hand, was like night. His skin too was pale, but his dark hair and darker eyes combined with his black clothes convinced Ravus that the boy had to be goth, or emo, or something.

The way the two were standing together made Ravus nervous. After releasing Luna, she’d unconsciously drew back until she was standing beside the boy and their hands brushed each other every so often. Ravus watched them quietly for a few moments. The boy had to be Luna’s boyfriend. Ravus scowled at the boy and boldly declared, “My sister’s too good for you.”

“What!?” The boy exclaimed. Ravus didn’t know what the boy was surprised about. He should have known that Luna was and would always be way too good for him. (Then again, Ravus believed that Luna was too good for everyone in the world.)

“No, it’s not like that!” Luna wailed. Sure Noct and Luna didn’t look even remotely alike, but no one had ever mistaken them for a couple before.

“Then what are you doing here with a boy?” Ravus asked.

At this Noct puffed up. He looked up at Ravus. Why was everyone taller than him? This man practically dwarfed Noct. However, Noct didn’t let it bother him and he spoke hotly to Ravus, “I’m Luna’s brother!”

“What!” Ravus exclaimed. He knew that Luna had left to live with a relative, but he’d been sure that said relative was single and didn’t have any other children. And so the only explanation was, “You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying. Tell him Luna,” Noct encouraged.

Up to this point Luna had avoided talking. She didn’t know what to say to Ravus. ‘Sorry, I got another brother while you were gone’? That wasn’t fair to Ravus or Noct. Even now, with Noct and Ravus’s gazes on her Luna still didn’t know what to say and so she just nodded at what Noct was saying. However, Ravus still didn’t look convinced so Luna opened her mouth and told Ravus, “Yes. This is Noctis. He’s my little brother.”

“But, how?” Ravus exclaimed, “I looked it up. Ardyn Izunia has no wife, nor does he have any other children.”

“Well, that’s because he-” Luna got no further before Noct cut in.

“Father found me on his doorsteps one day. I never met my real parents, but father and Luna took me in and raised me.” Noct declared.

“Oh, I see.” Ravus commented, “I’m sorry for disrupting your new family, Lunafreya.”

Luna felt a pain in her heart as Ravus turned to walk away. She loved Ravus, she really did. However, she didn’t know what to say to him. She’d been two when they last saw each other. 11 years had gone by and she barely recognised her brother.

Luckily for her, Noct called out to Ravus, “Hey! You’re Luna’s big brother, right? Well does that mean that you’re my big brother too?”

“Is that okay?” Ravus asked.

Noct simply smiled in reply before he grabbed Ravus’s hand and pulled him along, “Come on. I wanna go see that Nifelheim technology exhibit.”

Ravus allowed Noct to drag him along and after a few moments of Noct’s blabbing, the two were engaged in some sort of history discussion. Luna followed after them with a serene smile on her face. It was nice to see her two brothers getting along.

Ravus exchanged phone numbers with Noct and Luna after that day with the promise to stay in touch. All three left with smiles on their faces; their family was growing.

***

On Noct’s 20th birthday Ardyn finally gave Noct the letter from his mother.

All of Noct’s friends were over at Ardyn’s house celebrating Noct’s birthday when Ardyn finally gathered the courage to gift the letter to Noct.

“What’s this?” Noct asked when Ardyn placed the letter in his hands. The letter gave off an old paper smell and the writing on the back was mostly faded away. Still, Noct could make out the faint inscription of his name on the back of the card.

“I’ve had this for a long time,” Ardyn admitted to his son, “It’s from your mother.”

“My mother?” Noct asked, “But you told me that I was abandoned. Why would there be a letter from the woman who abandoned me!?”

Ardyn ignored Noct’s hysterical outcry and calmly told the boy, “Read it.”

Noct was still suspicious of the letter. However, with a little prompting from Prompto and Ignis Noct carefully opened the letter and read it.

‘Dear Noctis,

Oh Noctis, my darling son. You must have grown into such a handsome young man by now. Oh, how I wish I could be there with you to celebrate this milestone with you. Alas, we were never destined to meet. Ah, but you probably don’t remember me. I am, or I was, your mother. By now you're probably wondering what someone like me who so carelessly abandoned her son could possibly be doing by writing this letter. The truth is I had to leave you.

You were merely an infant, not even a year old when it happened. I had no choice but to sneak you away. Ah, but I guess that’s not a very good explanation. Well here’s the explanation, a few weeks after you were born your father was assassinated. After that I knew that the rest of his family would be in danger so I hid you away and pretended that I had a miscarry in order to protect you. By the time you’re reading this I will have been long gone, but allow me to beg for your forgiveness. Your father and I loved you so much. Our first child, our little Noctis. Your father would have given anything up for you and I would do the same. Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t raise you, you would have been such a spoiled child (Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke. Your father did say that I had such a terrible taste of humor.)

I could go on for ages about how much your father and I love you, but I’m running out of time. You see Noctis, there are some things you need to know. Your father wasn’t sensibly killed. He was targeted. Now, I’m not asking you to go for revenge (I’d never wish harm on you. I may not know you anymore, but you’re still my darling son!) instead I’m trying to get you to understand. Your father was the President of a very prominent company. In fact, I bet the company still exists. You see, they assassinated your father in hopes that his company would crumble after his death. But it didn’t. I’m fairly certain that they’ll target me next, which is why I sent you away. If they knew that you were still alive then they’d kill you in order to remove a heir.

However, by now the threat is most likely gone (After all, Regis’s employees are very capable and most likely neutralised the threat soon after my death.). Now, I simply wanted you to be aware that if you so desire the company that your father left behind is yours. Not that you have to accept! I’m sure you’ve already made many plans about the future and are most likely smart enough to do whatever you want (You are my son after all!), but I’m sure the Scientia family would be thrilled if you reappeared. (Just tell them you’re Regis Lucis Caelum’s son.)

I really don’t want to end this letter. I wish I had so much more time with you, but the hour is late and baby you will have to leave soon. I expect that you probably won’t believe most of this letter. Just, if you take nothing from this letter please remember this, “Your father and mother loved you dearly”.’

Noct stared at the letter. He couldn’t believe what he just read. His real father and mother loved him, and were dead. Whenever he pictured his birth parents he had always assumed that they were simply a couple that couldn’t deal with a child and so had given him away. The letter simply seemed too good to be true (except that fact that his birth parents were dead.). But one thing continued to bug him. He looked over to Ignis who’d been reading the letter over his shoulder.

While Noct didn’t say anything, the look in his eyes implored Ignis to explain. His mother had mentioned the Scientia family which Ignis just happened to be a part of. When Ignis finally tore his eyes away from the letter he looked at Noctis with a strange look.

“So, you're the mysterious heir my uncle has always talk about.” Was the first thing Ignis said after he recovered from his shock, “I must say, I never imagined that it would be you. I did wonder when I heard your last name, but I never followed up on those suspicions. Now, it seems that fate has played a cruel trick on us indeed.”

Silence filled the room as the others took turns reading the letter from Noct’s mother. Finally, Gladio asked, “So is what the letter said true?”

“I assume so,” Ignis informed the group, “What little I know does match what Noct’s mother wrote.”

Silence once more engulfed the room as everyone thought about what Ignis just revealed. Ardyn was hardly surprised. In Noct’s past life his father had been someone of extreme importance and from if what he’d experienced so far was anything to go by, this current reincarnation was eerily similar to their past lives. However, Ardyn wasn’t sure what to do. Should he encourage Noct to head his mother’s letter or to forget everything that was written. In their past life it had been so easy for Ardyn to convince Noct to follow in his father’s footsteps and become the King of Light, but now, Ardyn didn’t know what to do.

Finally Noct announced, “I don’t want to run a company! I just want to be a researcher.”

Although Ardyn was surprised by Noct’s outburst, Ignis simply nodded as if he expected Noct’s answer. “I understand. However, your father’s company has a very large research department. Even if you do not wish to run the company upfront, why don’t you work for the company after you finish your education.”

Noctis thought through Ignis’s proposal for a few minutes before he answered with a smile, “I think I’d like that.”

The rest of Noct’s birthday flowed smoothly after that. No one mentioned the letter after that. However, Ardyn was relieved that Noct already had one of the best job opportunities possible. And, even though he never said anything, Ardyn was so very grateful to Noct’s mother for entrusting her son to him.

***

Ardyn was 50 when he learned his days on Eos were numbered.

The day had started like any other except after breakfast as he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth he began to cough. At first he thought nothing of it until black bile bubbled out of his mouth. With a quick jerk of the head Ardyn was facing the mirror and the view that welcomed him was one he thought he’d never see again. It was the face of the accursed.

Ardyn instantly knew what was happening. He had the starscourge despite the disease being terminated by Noctis Lucis Caelum hundreds of years ago. However, this time Ardyn wasn’t immortal. He would eventually die from the sickness.

When Ardyn faced the mirror again the horrible visage had disappeared and the bile in his throat had dissipated. It was then that Ardyn decided to hide the disease from Luna and Noctis. He didn’t need the two of them to be worried about him or to invest their time in finding a cure. Most likely this was a reminder from the Astrals that his time on Eos was limited.

Despite the Astrals cursing Ardyn with a similar fate to his previous life he could not find it in him to be angry. So far his life had been a precious gift and Ardyn would continue to enjoy his new life until he no longer could.

***

Ardyn was 51 when Prompto asked him for Luna’s hand in marriage.

That evening Ardyn had returned to an empty home and prepared dinner for one. It had been the first time he’d eaten alone since Luna and Noct had barreled into his life and refused to leave. However, Luna had moved out after completing university and Noct was out with a boy.

Ardyn wasn’t sure how happy he was with Noct going out on a date. On one hand he was ecstatic that Noct had gotten over his first heartbreak and was moving on, but at times Ardyn wanted to wrapped Noct up in bubble wrap and lock him up in a town as if he were Rapunzel. Noct was his precious son and Ardyn didn’t want to imagine what sort of horrors Noct may encounter. (Ardyn wasn’t too worried about Luna. She was a heartbreak and could make grown men cry with her sharp tongue. Noct was too soft despite being one of the top kendoists in his age group in all of Insomnia.) Noct had told Ardyn nothing when questioned. All he’d done was smile brightly and tell his father that he and his boyfriend (Ardyn had almost choked when Noctis had used that word.) weren’t overly serious yet and so he didn’t want to introduce his boyfriend to Ardyn quite yet. Ardyn didn’t question Noct further. If Noct wanted to talk with Ardyn then he would approach Ardyn on his own.

Anyway, Ardyn had just finished eating his dinner and had begun to wash the dishes when the doorbell rang. Ardyn finished what he was doing and rushed to the door. He expected the visitor to be some door-to-door salesman, or maybe the next door neighbours, or even Noctis back from a disappointing date (Could you blame Ardyn for hoping the last thought was right.). Instead the door opened to reveal the fluffy blond hair of Prompto Argentum.

“Prompto? What are you doing here?” Ardyn asked, completely confused. Although Prompto often stopped by his house at random times, normally Luna or Noct were either with him or awaiting his arrival. Prompto never showed up without previous notice. “Noct isn’t home right now.”

“I know that,” Prompto replied, his gaze firmly planted on the ground and his hands continuously clenching and unclenching, “I came to talk to you Mr. Izunia.”

Ardyn was confused. He and Prompto didn’t talk much. In fact Ardyn talked much more with Gladio and Ignis than he did with Prompto and for that Ardyn was almost glad. In his past life he hadn’t spend much time around Gladio and Ignis, but he did remember Prompto quite clearly. Talking with Prompto was a very daunting task to Ardyn as he couldn’t help but remember all that Prompto suffered from in Nifelheim. Despite Ardyn’s excuses, he quickly invited Prompto into the living room.

Once both were seating Ardyn asked Prompto the question that had plagued him ever since Prompto expressed a desire to talk with him, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Ah, right.” Prompto said a little too quickly. He turned to look Ardyn in the eye and Ardyn couldn’t help but notice the boys resolve in those eyes. In a very earnest voice Prompto told Ardyn, “Well, I love Luna, and I know that Luna loves me. She’s one of the best things to have ever happened to me. You know, besides Noct. Well, actually I’m not quite sure which one would be the best thing that ever happened to me, because without meeting Noct I’d never have met Luna but I’m in love with Luna and not Noct. However -”

Ardyn cut off Prompto’s rambling, “Just get to the point Prompto.”

“Yes, right.” If Prompto seemed nervous at the door, now he appeared downright terrified, “You see. I wanted to ask your permission to marry Luna. Ah, I know that Luna doesn’t really need your permission to do anything, but I figured that I should. You know, tradition and all that. I hope you’re not too mad. Please don’t kill me. I love Luna so much and-”

This time Ardyn stopped Prompto’s nervous speech with just one word, “Yes.”

“Huh?” Prompto questioned.

Ardyn sighed before answering Prompto, “I give you my permission to marry Luna. I know what sort of person you are and I know that you’ll never hurt my daughter.”

“Really?!” Prompto exclaimed as he jumped up into the air.

“Of course.” Ardyn couldn’t help but smile at Prompto’s antics.

“Thank you so much Mr. Izunia. I’ll make sure to get her a ring that I know she’ll love. But, I’m not planning on marrying her quite yet. I mean, I’m still in University and don’t have a job yet. Although, Luna would probably be happy to pay for the whole thing, but I want to be able to chip in too. Oh, I’ll have to ask Noct too since Luna is his sister. I’m sure he’ll be able to help me with the whole thing. It’ll have to be by the sea and I’ll have to get those flowers that she likes, and…”

Ardyn let Prompto babbled on. He had no doubt that Prompto would make Luna very happy. He was happy for his daughter and Prompto. Neither of them had very happy lives in their past lives and now they were given the chance to live out life to the fullest. And they both deserved it so, so much. Ardyn wished them both well and even though he didn’t say it to Prompto on that day, he was very excited for the wedding.

***

Ardyn was 53 when he finally met Noct’s boyfriend.

After many nights of watching Noct leave the house and return in good cheer and many days of pestering on Ardyn’s part Noct finally agreed to bring his boyfriend home. Although Noct was doing this as a sign of commitment to his boyfriend, Ardyn was already plotting ways to judge this unknown man. Ardyn didn’t recall Noct being romantically interested in anyone in his previous life, so Ardyn was fairly certain that Noct’s boyfriend wouldn’t be a familiar face. Furthermore, after the last incident with Noct’s previous boyfriend Ardyn was determined to test the new boyfriend’s quality.

Between the three of them (Noct texted his boyfriend) they decided to meet at Ardyn’s house for dinner one night. That evening Ardyn made Noct’s favourite dishes in preparation for the first test. If the ‘boyfriend’ didn’t recognise any of the foods then Ardyn would know that Noct hadn’t opened up to the boy yet. (Ardyn was already planning how to send Noct’s boyfriend running the moment that failed in any way.) When setting the table Ardyn made sure to keep Noct and his boyfriend as far away as possible from each other. Soon everything was set and Ardyn had only to wait for his victim to appear.

As Noct waited for his boyfriend to show up he watched his father set up his masterful plan. Noct was worried about his father. So far Ardyn had very little experience dealing with his children’s love interests. Luna’s first love had been Prompto and Noct knew that Ardyn had breathed a sigh of relief at that. Ardyn knew Prompto and he knew that Prompto would never intentionally hurt Luna. Noct, on the other hand, was on his second boyfriend. However, the previous boyfriend had taught him not to let Ardyn meet his boyfriend until Noct was sure about the man. After the repercussions of the first boyfriend, Ardyn had since gone into overboard protection mode. Because of this, Noct hadn’t introduce his current boyfriend to his father yet. Noct was still worried that Ardyn would try to run him off, and from what Noct could see his father was currently doing what Noct feared.

Noct wasn’t too worried about Ardyn chasing his boyfriend off. Noct had waited quite a while before thinking about introducing his father to his boyfriend. At this point in their relationship Noct figured that if his boyfriend had wanted to leave it would have already happened. Noct had already met all of his boyfriend’s friends and in turn had reluctantly introduced him to Noct’s friends. In the end Noct’s friends approved his new boyfriend, but Gladio had followed up with a typical threat, ‘hurt him and I’ll kill you,’ sort of thing. (However, Noct had then had to beg them, especially Prompto, not to tell his father or Luna yet since he wanted to wait before introducing his family.) In fact, the two of them had already talked about marriage.

Noct was dragged out of his musing when the doorbell rang. He rushed to the door as he called out to his father, “I’ll get it!”

Arydn, however, was curious and so he too made his way to the front door in time to see Noct peel the door open to reveal Nyx Ulric.

Nyx Ulric. The man Ardyn had first met in this life when he accompanied Noct to a kendo tournament. He’d recognised man known as the ‘Hero’ of the KingsGlaive when he first set eyes on the man, but he had written it off as a chance encounter and even though he suspected they’d run into each other again he never expected to be at his home with the aforementioned man as Noct’s boyfriend.

Noct looked between his boyfriend and his father. When he’d opened the door to admit Nyx into the house he didn’t expect his father to have followed him. And he most definitely didn’t expect both of them to freeze the moment they caught each other’s eye.

Nyx and Ardyn gazed stonily at one another until Nyx finally asked, “Do I know you?”

Arydn looked at Nyx in fear. A small voice in the back of his head wondered if Nyx too remembered their past life. However, that was a ridiculous notion and so Arydn quickly dismissed said thought and replied to Nyx, “I don’t believe we’ve even officially met Nyx Ulric.”

“You know my name though,” Nyx said with a sly smile.

Arydn cursed the slip of tongue as he went to correct himself, “I have seen you at the different kendo meets after all.”

“Hm,” Nyx offered before he smirked once again, “I just realized who you are. You’re Ardyn Izunia, CEO of the super successful business, right?”

“I cannot, nor do I desire to deny that I am indeed Ardyn Izunia.” Ardyn replied as he once again mentally cured Nyx’s intellect, “Why don’t you enter. The outdoors is rarely pleasant.”

Nyx accepted Ardyn’s offer and soon they were seated at the table with Ardyn seated in between Noct and Nyx. Unfortunately Nyx passed Ardyn’s first test with flying colours. He was immediately familiar with the food on the table and even commented on how the food was Noct’s favourite.

After that Ardyn attempted many times to move onto the different trials he had planned out, but somehow Nyx managed to either avoid the trial or pass with flying colours. Something seemed fishy to Ardyn and he suspected Noct was most likely aiding Nyx with the different tests. However, through it all Ardyn could see that Nyx cared for Noct.

In truth Ardyn was almost jealous of Nyx as he was able to make Noct smile and laugh with much more ease than any of Noct’s other friends including him and Luna. When Noct was with Nyx Ardyn felt as if Noct was once again the happy child he was before the fire and even though Ardyn wanted to hate Nyx and forbid Noct from seeing that man he couldn’t. Above all else Ardyn wanted his children to be happy in this life and if he had to put up with Nyx’s snark and infuriating personality in order to ensure Noct’s happiness, then he would gladly (well maybe not gladly, more like with much resilience on his part not to wring Nyx’s neck.).

At the same time Ardyn also wondered if something similar to their relationship now had been in the works in their last life. He couldn’t help but wonder if the relationship had been in development, how far along had it been before Ardyn had aided Nifelheim in the invasion of Insomnia which resulted in Nyx’s demise. Ardyn wondered if Noct had mourned Nyx’s death when he learned that Insomnia had fallen. But most of all, Aryn felt sick as he remembered his final encounter with Noct. He’d strung Luna and King Regis up to demoralize Noct and then Emperor Iedolas and Nyx were more to prove to Noct the power he wielded. Now, Ardyn feared that the illusion of Nyx may have been the most heartbreaking illusion he could have created.

Time seemed to zip by as Ardyn practically interrogated Nyx despite Noct’s protests. All too soon (not soon enough in Ardyn’s opinion.) it was time for Nyx to leave. However, as one final jib at Ardyn, as he was leaving, Nyx looked over his shoulder at Ardyn and casually remarked, “Oh, yeah. The wedding’s next month, hope you can make it!”

“What!” Ardyn could not believe what Nyx was saying, but when he looked to Noct the boy was bright red.

Something told Ardyn that Nyx was not lying.

Ardyn didn’t like Nyx. He hadn’t in the past and even now in this life Ardyn couldn’t help but see the boy as a reckless lunatic who would die young. However, Noct was absolutely smitten with the man and Nyx clearly expressed the same sentiment. Ardyn would never do anything to impede Noct’s happiness even if Ardyn hated Nyx’s guts.

***

At the age of 60 Ardyn Izunia died and returned to the Astrals.

The starscourage had been worsening over the years despite Ardyn’s many attempts to lessen the disease. He’d managed to hide it from everyone around him: his employees, his buisness partners, his sort of friends, his children’s friends and spouses, and even from his children themselves. However, after 14 years with the sickness Ardyn finally perished alone in his suburban home. Three hours later Noct would arrive for a visit and discover Ardyn’s body on the floor with signs of the starscrouage on his skin. Noct would call the EMS, but there would be nothing they could do. Nyx would arrive at the hospital first and Noct would cry in Nyx’s arms until the his friends arrived. Luna would break down the moment she reached the hospital and together with Noct the two would grieve for their father as Nyx and Prompto looked on unable to alleviate their suffering.

The funeral would be a massive affair as people from all over the world would attend to see the end of the man who in one generation created one of the most successful businesses in all the world. Business partners would preach about how ruthless Arydn was and how impressed they were by his business savvy. Ardyn’s many employees would create speeches about how kind a leader Ardyn had been and how they were so grateful for the job opportunities his company created. No one who personally knew him would said anything at the funeral. A few days before everyone who’d personally knew Ardyn would have gathered for an informal funeral where they’d talked about who Ardyn really was behind the business persona.

Finally there would be the question about who would inherit the business, since to the general populace’s knowledge Ardyn Izunia had never had any children. However, it would have stated in the will that the entire company go to Luna who had already been working there for many years in preparation for said role. Many people would be shocked to learn that Ardyn had children even though it had been over 30 years since Ardyn took Luna in.

However, time would pass and Ardyn would fade into history for all but those who loved him. Luna and Noct would never forget their father and would often find comfort in their respective spouses who too would mourn the father of their loves. In time Luna and Noct would forge ahead and continue to spend their lives in happiness just as their father would have wanted.

Ardyn once again stood on the Astral plane along side the Astrals. When Shiva asked for his forgiveness for their actions in his first life he forgave them. The last life made up for all the pain he’d ever endured and now as he began the journey to the land of Etro he prayed that his children be happy for the rest of their lives and once again he marvelled at how luck he’d been in that life, for he’d received the greatest gift in life. Parenthood. As he walked onward he smiled and wished his children well one last time before he vanished into pure stardust.

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... That's the end of this fic. I hope you liked it even though the ending feels a little rushed to me. I don't know if you noticed, but when introducing Nyx as Noct's boyfriend I tried to create suspense, but now I've realised that that relationship will be in the tags (Stupid me). And if you didn't guess that I'd pair Noct up with Nyx then I'm sorry, but if you've read any of my other fecs then you should realise that I love NyxNoct stories. 
> 
> Anyway, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who commented, kudoed, or even read this story, or any of my other stories. It really means a lot to me even though for those who commented I never respond. Honestly I just never know what to say, but it really means a lot to me. 
> 
> I'm not really sure what I'm going to write next, but it probably won't be a Final Fantasy XV story (even though I have lots of ideas), it's just I sort of feel like writing for Final Fantasy type-0 (would any of you read a Final Fantasy type-0 fic? Have any of you played the game?) or Fire Emblem Echoes (I really enjoyed both games and recommend them if you haven't played them yet.) since they don't have too many fanfictions. 
> 
> I guess that's all for now. Once again I want to thank you for reading all the way to the end of this fic (and author's note). Sorry for having such a long author's note (that's probably full of things you guys don't even care about). I'm just a little emotional since this is the end of my first multi-chaptered fic.


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